Contact
Mary L. Worth
marylworth@yahoo.com
For immediate release
Yates Community Endowment Surpasses Halfway Mark
to $1 Million Goal by 2017
2014 Grant Applicants Now Being Sought
The Yates Community Endowment (YCE) is pleased to announce that it has surpassed the
halfway mark to its goal of raising $1 million by 2017. The addition of the Willie J. Taaffe
Memorial Fund, in memory of a founding advisory board member of the Endowment, helped to
push the total to more than $542,000.
The Endowment was created in 2011 by a group of citizens committed to securing the future of
Yates County. A $100,000 challenge grant from the family foundation of Katie Nord Peterson of
Penn Yan launched the endowment-building effort and matching gifts were made within six
months.
The Endowment is a permanent fund, which means that the principal is never spent and the
accumulated interest over time generates money for grants to Yates County nonprofits. All
money raised stays in Yates County.
“The earnings from the Endowment are meant to help address needs in our Yates County, now
and in the future. Donating allows the Endowment to have an ever-increasing amount of funding
annually to further help support identified needs in our Yates County,” said Advisory Board
Member Taylor Fitch.
Though grants in the first few years have been relatively small — ranging from $2,000 to $5,000
— they are making a real difference to the people who benefit from them.
In 2012 and 2013 the Endowment awarded grants to support the work of the following
nonprofits: Safe Harbors; Arts Center of Yates County; Milly’s Pantry; S2AY Rural Health
Network; ARC/Keuka Lake School; Finger Lakes Cultural and Natural History Museum; Child
and Family Resources; and the Pennsylvania Yankee Theatre Company for Sampson Theatre
renovations.
Applications by Yates County nonprofits for 2014 grants are now being accepted. Go to
www.racf.org/Yates to find a grant application and more details. All applications must be
postmarked no later than June 2.
The Endowment and its affiliated funds are housed at Rochester Area Community Foundation,
which has provided generous grants to Yates County initiatives, including the Vision 20/20
efforts and the Finger Lakes Museum.
(Page 1 of 2)
Advisory Board Member Sue Andersen is very happy with the work of the Endowment. “Part of
my job at Lyons National Bank is community outreach. I can’t think of a better way to support
local efforts than to give to this Endowment. ‘They’ are really ‘us’ helping each other. And that’s
what it’s all about.”
Keeping his sight set on the future, Advisory Board Member Frank Strong encourages all who
can to become involved in the Endowment. “While it is very gratifying to see the Yates
Community Endowment continuing to grow and build momentum in service to the community,
we still have a long way to go and continue to need widespread support.”
If you are interested in making a contribution, you can mail a check payable to Yates
Community Endowment (with RACF in the memo line) to P.O. Box 311, Penn Yan, N.Y. 14527.
For more information, visit www.racf.org/Yates or contact Regional Coordinator Joy Benson at
(585) 341-4412 or jbenson@racf.org.
(Page 2 of 2)